Coconut Pecan Brownie Muffins #MuffinMonday

Rich, chocolately muffins with pecans, coconut, hazelnut spread and chocolate chips, these Coconut Pecan Brownie Muffins as gorgeous as they are delicious.

Once again this week, Anuradha, our illustrious Muffin Monday organizer has given us free reign, prescribing only one ingredient and no specific recipe.  In a lot of ways, I find this even more fun and I hope the trend continues.   Our ingredient for this week is coconut, which I love!  The first thought that popped into my head was the birthday cake I often asked for as a child, German Chocolate Cake, which has a pecan coconut frosting.  But since muffins aren’t really supposed to be cupcakes with frosting, I decided just to take those flavors and add them into the actual muffin.*  They went off to the office with my dear husband and, I am told, were gone in an absolute flash.  Which pleases me no end!

Headed for work, spreading joy for #MuffinMonday on Sunday, which is our Monday, so it works out perfectly.

Coconut Pecan Brownie Muffins

This recipe was adapted from the Chocolate Brownie Muffin recipe in The Australian Women's Weekly Madeleines, Muffins & More, which I received as a Christmas gift from my beautiful, generous daughters.

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g flour
1/3 cup or 26g cocoa powder
1/3 cup or 75g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup or 165g chocolate hazelnut spread plus extra for decorating
1/4 cup or 60g butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
1/2 cup or 120g sour cream
1 cup or 125g whole pecans (You will reserve 1/4 for decorating.)
1/2 cup or 50g sweetened flaked coconut plus extra for decorating
1/2 cup or 95g chocolate chips

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin tins (one 12-cup and one 6-cup) by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin papers.

Chop pecans and set aside 1/4 cup for decorating.

Combine your flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your egg, chocolate hazelnut spread, milk, sour cream and butter.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.

Add in three-quarters of the pecans, the coconut flakes and the chocolate chips.  Stir until just mixed.

Divide your batter between the 18 prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pans and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.

Once cool, spread the muffins with a small amount of the chocolate hazelnut spread and decorate with the rest of the pecans and just a little of the coconut flakes.

Enjoy!

Savory Shrimp Cheesecake with Herbs and Garlic

Cream cheese, sheep's milk feta and garlicky herbed shrimp baked into a savory cheesecake is a beautiful appetizer served with bread or crackers.

Things were a little crazy here during the holiday season around Christmas and New Year, what with both daughters in residence, one birthday to celebrate, and our household shipment arriving from Cairo just a few days before Santa. I didn’t have much time for extraneous cooking and baking since birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day have strictly enforced menu requirements but that didn’t stop me from bookmarking recipes I wanted to try when things calmed down. One of them was for a savory goat cheese cheesecake from the very talented +Jennifer Field , or her Super Hero alter ego, Pastry Chef Online .

When this week’s #SundaySupper theme (Cheese, Cake and Cheesecake!) was announced, I knew instantly what I would make. And to avoid the problem Jenni mentions of having to make mean faces at someone who wants to share your savory cheesecake, I decided to make two small cakes so dear husband and I could each have our own. A bit piggish, yes. But so GOOD! (With Jenni's permission, I have adapted her recipe to add shrimp with a few other tweaks so make sure to go check out the original as well.)

Scroll on down to the bottom of my post to see what other lovely cheese, cake and cheesecake recipes the #SundaySupper group has in store for you today. Our sweet host this week is Angie from Big Bear’s Wife . Did you see her Bacon and Shrimp Bisque last week when we did soups? My favorite!

Ingredients
(Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature).
6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I left the tails on because they are prettier that way but if your shrimp are already completely peeled, it’s no big deal) With the tails on, these weighed 150g or about 5 1/4 oz.
Small bunch green onions
Small bunch flat-leafed parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 small red chili pepper
1 tablespoon butter
6 oz or 170g full fat cream cheese
3 1/2 oz or 100g goat or sheepmilk feta
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch or corn flour
Several grindings of black pepper

To serve: one fresh baguette sliced into rounds or crackers of your choice

Method
Preheat your oven to 325°F or 165°C and prepare your pans or ramekins by cutting out circles of parchment paper for the bottoms and spraying the insides with non-stick spray. (My two ramekins each held 3/4 cup or almost 180ml quite comfortably without danger of spillage. Test your volume with a measuring cup and water before preparing your ramekins.)

Smash your garlic cloves with the side of your knife and split the chili up the middle, then mince both. Chop your parsley and green onions.

Set aside just a tiny bit of the parsley, chili pepper and green onions for garnish later.

Put the rest of the parsley, chili pepper, green onion and all of the garlic in a saucepan with the butter and shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are completely done.

Remove the shrimp from the pan and take the tails off of four of them. Chop the four shrimp with a large knife. Wrap the two remaining shrimp and refrigerate. These will be garnish later.

In a big mixing bowl, mix your cream cheese, feta and chopped shrimp, adding in the cooked herbs and garlic from the saucepan.

Scrape the sides of the bowl down and then add the sour cream, egg and cornstarch. Give the whole thing a few good grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix well.

Meanwhile, Polly, put the kettle on, because you are going to need some hot water here shortly.

Spoon the batter into your prepared baking dishes and smooth the tops. Place those baking dishes inside a larger baking pan.

Put the whole thing into your preheated oven on the middle rack. Quickly fill the bottom pan with hot water up to the middle of the ramekins.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until the cheesecake is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before covering in cling film and refrigerating for several hours or even overnight.

When you are ready to serve, warm a knife in hot water and run it around the inside of your ramekins. You can turn it over directly on to the serving plate or onto your hand covered by some cling film, then place it where you want it on the serving plate. Smooth the sides with your warm knife, if necessary.

Garnish each cheesecake with your reserved chopped parsley, red chili pepper and green onions. Top each with a cooked shrimp.

Serve with bread or crackers. Try not to hunch protectively over the plate. The honest truth is that they are both big enough to share.

Enjoy!

The #SundaySupper group have outdone themselves with this theme! Click on the links to see their fabulous recipes.

Cheese

Baked Mozzarella Sticks by Mama’s Blissful Bites

Basil Balsamic Strawberries & Whipped Feta Grilled Cheese by Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Buffalo Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken by In The Kitchen With KP

Cheeseburger Soup by Dinners Dishes and Desserts

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Parmesan Crisps by BigBearsWife

Cherry Blossom Crescents by The Ninja Baker

Chevre Torte with Mango and Sweet Pepper Salsa by Noshing with the Nolands

Creamy Meyer Lemon Pasta with Homemade Ricotta and Broccoli by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Crepes with Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Filling by Soni’s Food

Garlic and Goat by Supper for a Steal

Homemade Velveeta Cheese by Juanitas Cocina

Irish Cheese Soufflés by girlichef

Lox and Cream Cheese Mini Omelettes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Pan-Fried Halloumi Cheese Salad by The Catholic Foodie

Paneer Indian Cottage Cheese Pancake by Masala Herb

Paneer Tikka Masala by Kimchi Mom

Quick and Easy Homemade Cottage Cheese by The Meltaways

Ricotta Croquettes by Basic N Delicious

Roasted Pears with Pecorino by Happy Baking Days

Saag Paneer! Golden Roasted Ricotta In Savory Spinach Sauce by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Sourdough Cheese Crackers by Curious Cuisiniere

Cakes

Almond Polenta Cake by Shockingly Delicious

Banana Split Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze by NeighborFood Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting by Hezzi D’s Books & Cooks Dairyfree Ice Cream Cake by Galactosemia in PDX Dense Chocolate Cherry Cake by What Smells So Good? Flourless Chocolate Bean Cake by Vintage Kitchen KitKat Chocolate Cake by The Urban Mrs. Old Fashioned Caramel Cake by There and Back Again Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake with Chocolate Chips by Gotta Get Baked Salmon Cakes by Family Foodie Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake by Gourmet Drizzles Tequila Lime Cupcakes by Mama Mommy Mom

& Cheesecakes

Cheesecake au Baileys by Baker Street

Chocolate Cheesecake Bites by Mom, What’s For Dinner?

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cheesecake by Magnolia Days

Grasshopper Cheesecake Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Individual Strawberry and White Chocolate Cheesecakes by Small Wallet Big Appetite

Kit Kat Cheesecake Brownies by Chocolate Moosey

Lime Cheesecake Bites by Peanut Butter and Peppers

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes with White Chocolate Crusts by Cupcakes and Pearls

Mini Toddler Cherry Cheesecakes by In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene

Mocha Cheesecake by The Lovely Pantry

No-Bake Banana Sundae Cheesecake by The Messy Baker

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies by The Foodie Army Wife

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes by Cookistry

Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake by Daily Dish Recipes

Tiny Turtle Cheesecakes (No Bake) by Cravings of a Lunatic

Crostini con Fegato e Salvia

Hands up all of you who know that tomorrow is the last day of the month.  Okay, smarty-pants, you can put your hands down now.  And you in the back?  No one said to stand so stop showing off.  After 50 years of operating under the Gregorian calendar on a daily basis you’d think I’d have this February thing down pat.  Not so.  Today I was happily making my recipe for +belleau kitchen's Random Recipe Challenge, for which the deadline is normally a couple of days before the end of the month.  And I was thinking that I was cutting it close but would nip in under the wire.  I finished cooking, and eating, and sat down to write this, first just heading over to Dom’s to make sure I had the link correct and saw to my horror that the February recipe round up boat had sailed.

Which makes me sad.  So, let me share something with you that made me happy, albeit briefly, today.  It was the Chicken Liver Crostini from Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer’s Tuscan Cookbook.  I know chicken liver is not for everyone but I think more people would give it a chance, especially cooked like this, if we called it something different.  After all, look how many people eat pâté without a thought of liver!  Chopped Foie Crostini?  Or, since this is supposed to be Italian, how about Crostini con Fegato e Salvia.  Doesn’t that sound better?  Just give me a minute – Gotta change my title.  Okay, I'm back.  On to the recipe!

Ingredients
3 tablespoon butter
live oil
10 1/2 oz or 300g chicken livers, cleaned
8 sage leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tiny capers
2 tablespoon fresh flat-leaved parsley
8 slices baguette
1 clove garlic
Sea salt
Black pepper

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and lay your baguette slices out on a baking tray.

Cut your livers into 4-5 pieces each.

Mince your sage leaves and chop your parsley.

Go ahead and measure out the capers and set them aside since it can be tricky to get them out of a small-necked bottle without their liquid.  And you don’t want their liquid, just the capers.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add in a little drizzle of olive oil.  Toss in the sage quickly followed by the livers and fry for just a few minutes.

Add in the capers, vinegar and parsley and increase the heat to reduce the liquid.  You want to do this quickly so you can keep a little pink inside the livers.  I figured they were done and enough liquid was gone when the butter started popping at me.

Transfer the livers, herbs and capers to a large cutting board, leaving behind the butter, and chop the lot into small bits with a sharp knife.

Return it all to the frying pan and stir it into the little butter that was left.   Taste a small piece and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Brush one side of the bread slices with olive oil (I forgot this step and, frankly, didn’t miss it.) and toast in the oven until golden.

Rub a clove of garlic on the toasted bread or crostini.

Pile on the liver mixture and serve immediately.  If you have spare sage leaves, they make a pretty garnish.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Cookbook was randomly picked number 27 in my Eat Your Books list and, as per Dom’s Random Recipe Challenge #25 rules, I made the recipe I opened to randomly.  But it was delicious and I would definitely make it again.  I had planned to tell you all about this beautiful book, written by two icons of Australian cooking.  About how it was written with the menus of their teaching holidays when Ms. Alexander and Ms. Beer would rent a villa in Tuscany and explore markets and cook with their students.  There was much laughter and good wine and delicious food and this is a cookbook I love to read as much for their camaraderie and adventures as the recipes.  But I just don’t have the heart anymore.

But make sure to head on over to Dom’s blog and see all the lovely recipes from the smart people who know what day it is.